The deeper problem with the nothing-to-hide argument is that it myopically views privacy as a form of secrecy. In contrast, understanding privacy as a plurality of related issues demonstrates that the disclosure of bad things is just one among many difficulties caused by government security measures.

A saying I use sometimes is, ‘You’re as healthy as your secrets’… but I completely agree with Solove, privacy isn’t just about protecting your ‘deep dark secrets’ — it’s the freedom to go about your life/business without intrusive observation or ‘data gathering’ by government agencies, corporates (or bloody Facebook!)

Seriously, read his article. He does a good job of unpacking and dismantling the ‘my life is an open book, if I’m doing nothing wrong, I have nothing to fear’ argument.

– P

PS I don’t know what it is, but people seem to want to tell me things — surprising things. It was like that when I worked as a journalist, it was like that before, and it’s still like that. I don’t pry, they just tell me. Dunno why. Something about my face? It’s a mystery.

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Look at this as an [not the greatest] example, from Huffington Post’s talented Bianca Bosker

What Anthony Weiner Didn’t Say On Twitter Also Got Him Into Trouble

… Weiner’s experience serves as a warning about the numerous ways online activities can expose personal information. A Twitterer need not hit send to let secrets slip: A user can be judged not only on what he tweets, but also on the digital relationships he forms online.

Months before Weinergate erupted, a self-described conservative group started tracking what users Weiner had chosen to follow on Twitter and made a discovery: The congressman appeared to have a predilection for following young women. The group, which used the hashtag #bornfreecrew, cautioned some of the women to be wary of Weiner, among them Gennette Cordova, the Washington co-ed to whom he later tweeted the image of his underwear.

The crew, “closely monitored those whom Mr. Weiner was following, taking it upon themselves to contact young women they believed to be ‘schoolgirls,’ and urging them publicly to stay away from him, according to an analysis of posts on Twitter’s public stream,” wrote The New York Times. “By early May, members of the group were also speculating that Mr. Weiner would be caught in a sex scandal.”